This is the
general teen advice section. Ask away on any advice
questions that you may have.

Ask/Read Advice

Ask these advisors
Read their advice

Adviser

Tired of being rational? Do you just feeling like bitching
about something? Then be sure to check out the Bitch &
Moan Board, where you can go scream your head off!

Emergency
Help

Support
Hotlines: Toll-Free

USA Suicide Hotline

1-800-SUICIDE

USA Rape, Abuse
and Incest Hotline

1-800-656-HOPE

USA Anonymous
Weapons at School Tip Hotline

1-800-SPEAKUP

USA Aids Hotline

1-800-342-2437
(English)
1-800-344-7432 (Spanish)

USA Drug Abuse
Hotline

1-800-662-4357

USA Runaway Hotline

1-800-621-4000

USA Hotline for
Missing & Exploited Children

1-800-843-5678

USA Youth Crisis
Hotline

1-800-448-4663

Myths
Dispelled

Drug Myths

Myth: You'll be the first to know
when you're in danger.Fact: Everyone around you will know before
you realize what's happening.

Myth: You can stop using drugs anytime.Fact: Withdrawal sickness, believing you must
have the drugs, and being around people who use can
make stopping nearly impossible without help.

Suicide Myths

Myth: Suicidal people are fully
intent on dying.Fact: Most suicidal people are undecided about
living or dying. They gamble with death, leaving it
to others to save them.

Myth: People who talk about suicide don't commit
suicide.Fact: Four out of five people who commit suicide
have previously voiced their intention to do so.

Myth: You must never say the word "suicide"
to people you suspect may be suicidal.Fact: Facing them with the word will not affect
their decision one way or another. If a person is
not suicidal, talking about suicide will not put the
idea into his/her head. If he/she is suicidal, it
gives him/her permission to talk about it.

It's still rape if...

She
says "no," but he figures she really means "yes"
and goes ahead anyway.

She
drinks so much she can't really tell what is going
on or resist, and he has intercourse with her.

He
takes her out to dinner, then back to her apartment
and forces her to have sex with him because "she
owes him."

A
couple is making out and she wants to stop, but
he "can't help himself," and he forces her to have
intercourse with him.

Dating Violence Myths

Myth: It can't happen to me.Fact: More than 1 in 10 teens experience physical
violence in their dating relationships.

Myth: Jealousy and possessiveness are a sign
of true love.Fact: Jealousy and possessiveness are a sign
that the person sees you as a possession. It is the
most common early warning sign of abuse.

Myth: Teen dating violence isn't really that
serious.Fact: Thirty percent of all women who are murdered
in this country are killed by their husband or boyfriend.
According to a Mass. study, that same high percentage
applied to teen women, aged 15-19, as well. Also,
60% of all rapes reported to the rape crisis centers
are committed by acquaintances, and the majority of
victims are aged 16-24.

Myth: Men are battered by women just as often
as women are battered by men.Fact: The US Bureau of Justice Statistics reports
that 95% of the reported incidents of assaults in
relationships are committed by males.

Myth: Alcohol or drugs cause men to batter.Fact: Many men who batter do not drink heavily
or use drugs, and alcoholics or drug users do not
beat their partners. Further, batterers who do drink
and use drugs don't necessarily give up battering
when they give up these habits. While some abusers
do beat their partners while they are under the influence,
drugs and alcohol often act as their excuse.

Myth: Victims bring on the abuse themselves.
They ask for it.Fact: Perpetrators believe they have the right
to use abuse to control their partner and they see
the victim as less than equal to themselves. The victim
has no control over the abuser.

Myth: If a person stays in an abusive relationship,
it must not really be that bad.Fact: People stay in abusive relationships
for a number of reasons: fear, economic dependence,
confusion, loss of self-confidence, not recognizing
that what's happening is abusive, belief that the
abuser needs their help or will change.

Myth: Most batterers are bums or crazy people.Fact: Batterers are found in all classes and
types of people and all kinds of relationships: rich,
poor, professional, unemployed, black, white, urban
and rural, gay or straight.